Change is possible because there is nothing inherently permanent about our disturbing emotions.

The treasure house within you contains everything, and you are free to use it. You don't need to seek outside.

The cultivation of loving-kindness is the thread that runs through all Buddhist teachings.

The key to meditation is to recognize the nature of your mind rather than trying to change it.

The essence of Buddhist practice is to bring everything onto the path. Every experience becomes an opportunity for awakening.

When we rest in awareness, we discover a peace that is always present, regardless of circumstances.

Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun.

Study how water flows in a valley stream, smoothly and freely between the rocks.

If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything.

The dharma is not outside of you. Looking for it elsewhere is like placing a Buddha on your head while searching for him everywhere else.

The zazen I speak of is not meditation practice. It is simply the dharma gate of joyful ease.

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.

Hasten slowly and you will soon arrive.

The best way to control people is to encourage them to be mischievous. Then they will be in control in a wider sense.

The true mark of a spiritual practitioner is that your own behavior is better, not that you can criticize others well.

The technique of self-observation is the technique of observing the reality about oneself at the experiential level.

All experiences are preceded by mind, led by mind, made by mind. Speak or act with a corrupted mind, and suffering follows as the wagon wheel follows the hoof of the ox.

The mind is like a wild monkey, jumping here and there. But through meditation, we learn to see whatever arises in our mind with more spaciousness and clarity.

Compassion is not mere sentiment but a powerful force that can transform both ourselves and others.

When we attempt to exercise power or control over someone else, we cannot avoid giving that person the very same power or control over us.

The real secret of the arts: always be a beginner.

The practice of meditation is not about achieving states of bliss but about seeing things as they really are.

The root of all mind is your own present pure awareness. Rest in that essence without seeking elsewhere.

In the beginning, nothing comes, in the middle nothing stays, in the end nothing goes.

Zen teaches nothing; it merely enables us to wake up and become aware. It does not teach, it points.

Don't be a bodhisatta; don't be an arahant; don't be anything at all. Being something makes you suffer.

Much of spiritual life is self-acceptance, maybe all of it.

The purpose of studying Buddhism is not to study Buddhism, but to study ourselves.

Our practice cannot be perfect, but without being discouraged by this, we should continue it. This is the secret of practice.

The most profound meditation is to think nothing at all.

Our true nature is like a diamond - pure, brilliant, and indestructible. No matter how much dirt covers it, its essential nature remains unchanged.

When walking, just walk. When sitting, just sit. Above all, don't wobble.

The obstacle is the path.